GREENSBORO, N.C. — With school starting, we talk about students adjusting to a new school year and college students moving onto campus. But, what about parents, particularly the parents’ adjustment to their college students moving away from home.
Some parents have a hard time adjusting when their kids move away to college. When college students go to college, it’s more than going to college. It represents that they’re growing up and moving on. When kids go to college, they generally don’t come back home to live. They come back home to visit. And that reality is what many parents struggle with.
It’s common for parents to make a couple of mistakes when adjusting to their kids moving to campus. Some parents want to reach out to their college students constantly. They’ll text, call, Snapchat, whatever to touch base with their kids. And messages that indicate how lonely you are or how hard it is for you without them can make your kids uncomfortable or feel guilty if they’re having a good time, or it can make it harder for them to adjust to college life.
As hard as it might be, wait for your college student to reach out to you. During the calls or text messages, focus on what’s happening in their lives, how they like school, classes, roommates, etc. Your college student wants to know that you’re doing well. Share what’s happening in your life. When you’re feeling blue, call a friend to share how you’re feeling. Find distractions. The more full your own life is, then you won’t miss your children quite as much.
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